


The Spider's Web

by 1Storywriter1



Category: Avengers (Comics), Black Widow (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anger Management, Angst and Tragedy, Assassination, Avengers Family, Dreams, Eventual Romance, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Hand Signs, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra Peter Parker, Implied Relationships, It'll be a rocky road though, Mental Examination, Mental Instability, Mild Smut, Mute Peter Parker, Natasha Romanov Feels, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Meets the Avengers, Torture, Violence, for a while, illiterate, they try at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-22 17:01:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Storywriter1/pseuds/1Storywriter1
Summary: For all his life, he had been trained to be the deadliest man alive, and HYDRA did not accept failure.Now though, he has found himself among the ranks of the Avengers and trying to be a 'hero' with the help of the infamous Black Widow.Will 'Peter' be able to become the hero everyone wants him to be? Or will he stay true to what he's lived for his whole life, and defeat the heroes behind their lines?Only time will tell.





	1. Taken

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my next story!  
This one is a bit different to what I usually do, but I hope you enjoy it.  
If you read the tags, some things about this story would be obvious, like the fact this story isn't the 'normal' timeline, as Peter is a HYDRA agent in this story. He'll still have his Spider powers, but he won't be Spider-Man. Not for a while at least. He's also gonna be pretty messed up in this story, so be prepared for that.  
I'll also add that his suit in this, I picture it like his stealth suit from Far From Home, so there's that if you want to see it like that.  
I might try doing a few different romances during this, but I'm not doing any threesome stuff. Just seperate relationships at different times.  
And finally, during the first few chapters, Peter will be named 15 until he's given the name 'Peter Parker'.
> 
> Anyways, let's actually get to the story. Hope you guys enjoy this first chapter :)

Sitting in this room, all he could hear was the chaos. Screams. Explosions. Bullets. He knew all these sounds exceptionally well. He had grown up being the creator of sounds similar after all. The seeming 'super senses' he had didn't help muffle or make the sounds quiet either. But sitting here right now, with his brothers all lined up in a similar fashion to him, he wasn't quite sure what was required of him. 

The assassin who was named 15 was notoriously known among the ranks of HYDRA for his quick and precise ways of completing his missions; whether they be assassinations, reconnaissance, theft, or any other types of missions he had executed for as long as he could remember. He had grown up in the Black Box, a program which he has heard shares similarities with another operation known as the 'Red Room'. In the Black Box, he had learned and honed all his skills with his twenty-two brothers, who were all sent to their leader, HYDRA, after completing their training. They had also been exposed to experiments that would give the participants unique abilities. He had gained those abilities, and in return, he had used them to their fullest, not taking his gifts for granted.

Now though, hearing the carnage outside and seeing the shaking soldier and his frozen superior, 15 was not quite sure how his skillset was going to be used. Luckily, he was just about to receive orders.

"Spiders", the superior started, his voice slightly muffled by his helmet, "Today you will all complete your final mission..."

Final mission? What could be so great it would be the final mission? 15 was eager to know, and returned his attention to his- and his brothers'- superior.

"The base of our glorious organization HYDRA has been overrun by these... these 'heroes' called the Avengers. Orders given to me directly from our leader the Red Skull were received, and concern all of you..."

Again, 15 fazed out for a moment. He could feel anticipation building. The Red Skull has given personal orders just for him? Of course it was for his brothers as well, but knowing his lifelong idol has orders related to _him, _he couldn't stop the small skip he felt his heart take. Before he could become too troublesome, 15 refocused.

"Your final mission Spiders, is to find your peace."

Find peace? What... what does that mean?

"Today, the legacy of the Black Box must come to an end. You have all served our glorious HYDRA well, and you will be remembered in our- and your legacy. Farewell."

With that, the superior and his lower ranking associate pulled out their guns and shot the first assassin. 15 felt his eyes involuntarily widen. He knew what their final mission was now. He felt the most miniscule of smiles creep onto his face. To cement the survival of HYDRA, he would have to give his life. He was ready to comply.

The two agents continued their descent, one clean shot to each assassins' head. As they moved down the line, 15's anticipation grew stronger. There was only him, 21, and 7 left now. He internally cursed out at himself and the others for not being in numerical order, but quickly forgave himself when he saw 21 draw his last breath. Then 7. His time was almost here. The superior stood above him, and reloaded the gun.

"We will remember you 15. Your legacy will hold out much better than your brothers' will."

15 nodded. He was ready to complete his final service for his glorious leaders. The assassin looked his shooter in the eye and waited for the shot that would let him serve his people in a way he would never get to again.

But it didn't happen.

Before any of the remaining agents could process what was happening, a brightly colured shield had connected with the side of the superior agent's face, making a painful crunching noise and sending him staggering to the floor. 15 widened his eyes. No no no. This couldn't happen. These people couldn't take his purpose away from him. His final duty. 

15 lept ro his feet and turned to face whoever had entered. Upon his turn, he saw a large, unnatural hole in the wall, and three strange people standing there. He quickly got over his confusion once he realised just who they were. One wore a suit of red and gold armour, a glowing blue light coming out of his chest. Iron Man. The second man made 15 take an angered breath. He wore a blue costume, red and white stripes going down his stomach. He also had the iconic white, blue and red shield. Captain America, sworn enemy of HYDRA. Seeing the woman among their ranks genuinely surprised him though. He'd heard the stories, but didn't think it was true. The legendary assassin, and only completionist of the Red Room Program: Black Widow was among the ranks of the super'hero' group known as the Avengers.

15 clenched his fists together, and waited to see who would strike first. He felt the smallest trace of anger when instead of fighting like a good soldier would, they instead lowered their weapons and tried _talking _to him.

"Hey pal", Iron Man said, "We'll give you this one chance to stand down, otherwise we're taking you down." 15 stayed silent. "Can I take that as you standing down or..."

Whether the Avenger was going to finish his thought or not, his attention was drawn when the Black Widow pointed out the bodies behind the HYDRA assassin. "Did you do this", she asked. 15 shook his head, and the female assassin gave him a once over, and then suddenly her eyes widened. "Wait, I know who you are. You're from the Black Box Program."

The last standing HYDRA agent stayed silent at the accusation, his only way of confirming, and the ex-assassin took a shaky breath.

"Alright son", Captain America said, "Step aside and let us complete our mission. You can mourn for your... brothers I'm guessing once we are gone."

15 narrowed his eyes. These people just walk in here, destroy one of the bases of his glorious leaders, stop him from completing his final mission, and then tell him to _mourn_? And this was all coming from Captain America?! 15 let his emotions get the better of him; a mistake he would let slide on this one occasion, and attacked the Avengers.

With help from his special abilities, the HYDRA agent easily dodged the repulsor blasts from the armoured Avenger, and closed in on his opponent and landed a hit in his chest. Hitting him directly in the blue light, 15 noted the man let out a small, pained groan. It seemed the light was a weak point. Using this newfound knowledge he leapt in again, and focusing on his senses, thrust his hand as hard as he could into the armour, leaving dents and holes in the armour, and getting a successful hold of the glowing object. The assassin pulled his hand out, the results instantaneous. Iron Man violently jerked backwards, bringing his hands to his chest. His teammates looked on in shock for a breif moment, then leapt into the battle, no mercy anywhere on their faces.

Instead of focusing on his incoming opponents, 15 chose to focus on his breathing. Upon doing so, he watched as everything slowed down; an ability he discovered during his Black Box days. In this temporary slow motion state he was in, the assassin surveyed his surroundings and opponents, finding the best course of attack. Captain America had thrown his shield and it was too close for 15's liking. Black Widow had those electrical sticks of hers, and she was closing in as well. Taking a rough estimate, 15 took a risky gamble. He let his senses calm down, taking him back to normal time motions, and leapt into the air.

Seeing he had miscalculated, the HYDRA agent quickly used one of his artificial webs to plummet down, slamming the Captain's shield to the floor. With the weapon underneath him, 15 quickly ducked down, Black Widow soaring over him. He quickly bat Captain America away when he came in to punch the assassin, and then stomped down on the side of the shield, flinging it up into his hand. 

With the shield now in his hands, 15 prepared himself for the next attack. He saw a flash of annoyance in the WW2 soldier's eyes, and figured he could probably use that anger to his advantage. In a rather bold move, he beckoned his opponents to attack with the two finger wave, and saw that it worked. The two Avengers ran at him, and when they were in range, he struck. The super soldier reached him first, and when he dodged the 'hero's' attack, he slammed the soldier's own weapon into his face, making the Captain spit out blood and stumble back a few steps. The Widow came at him next, and he did a similar attack, slamming the shield into the back of her leg, sending her to the ground in a cry of pain.

15 quickly threw the shield at its owner when he came in to attack again, and sent him down to the ground in a pained heap. The assassin quickly ran over to deliver the final blow. He grabbed the Captain's shield and lifted it over his head. An instant after, he slammed it down as hard as he could.

Unfortunately there was no final blow, as it seemed the iron Avenger survived his ordeal, pushing the arc reactor onto the back of 15's head and electrocuting him, sending him to the ground in an unconscious pile. With a groan, Iron Man hoisted his super soldier teammate to his feet, then went over to help Widow up.

"Damn, the guy did a number on us", Iron Man groaned, "Good thing I had that exterior reactor huh? Wouldn't have been able to save you, ol' Capsicle."

The soldier let out a pained chuckle at the jab. "Guess so Tony... Guess so."

Realising their female teammate was awfully quiet, the two Avengers turned their attention onto her. "You okay Nat?" Tony asked her.

She turned her head to him, showing her conflicted expression. "I don't think we should leave him here."

"Who? The assassin guy? Why not?"

"Because we could use someone with his skills. He easily took down three of us without a problem, and almost killed Steve. If we could somehow turn him, we would have a powerful ally", Widow explained. She knew that wasn't the real reason though. She felt a sort of... familiarity about the HYDRA assassin, the kind of familiarity that made her recall her assassin days. She didn't want someone else to become a mindless murderer- especially to HYDRA- if she could help it.

After some serious thought and what looked like a mental conversation, the other two Avengers nodded. "Let's bring him in then", Cap stated.

**...**

15 found himself opening his eyes with a moderate amount of pain, and despite how much he had learnt to control his pain, he couldn't stop the small groan that escaped him. His arms were sore, and he felt a buzzing and searing pain in his skull. He had only been conscious for a few moments and was already in a state of discomfort. Although he did have to mentally curse himself; he'd suffered much worse before, and he was letting this affect him in such a way.

He quickly realised why though, seeing all the machines he was hooked up to. Actually looking around, the assassin realised he was in a new, unknown environment. The walls were clean and bare, save a few medical boards and loose sheets of paper. The bed he was on was also similar in colour: white pillows, white sheets, white mattress. That's when 15 realised the next alarming thing.

His suit was missing.

The moment he realised, the feelings hit him like a truck. His breathing became rapid and laboured, his chest felt like it was tightening, and things were starting to become blurry. No no no. This wasn't natural. This wasn't right. No no no. Where is it? Where is his suit?! He pulled the small needles or wires that were connected to him and pushed himself out of the bed. He fell over upon standing up. Dammit, he realised he had anesthetics in his systems. That wasn't allowed. It affected with him in ways he didn't like. He couldn't deal with that now though, he needed his suit. His one possession, the only comfort in his life.

With all his might, 15 lifted himself off the floor and stumbled out of the room. Doing that proved to be a bad move though, as just after exiting the room, he slammed into Captain America, almost falling over again. The super soldier caught him just in time, and looked at him with concern.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

15 felt a flash of anger inside him again. These people ruin so much for him in one day, take his suit and then throw 'pity' his way. He didn't have time for this, but knew in his state he probably wouldn't be able to stand much longer. Not knowing what else to do, the HYDRA agent pointed at the WW2 veteran's helmet and trailed down to his feet, then pointed at himself. Seeing the man's confused expression, 15 sighed and did it again. Still no recognition. 15 decided to try another motion, instead imitating putting a mask on, then gloves. The Avenger understood that of course, and nodded. He walked the assassin over to the wall and positioned him on it so he wouldn't fall, and took off to grab his suit.

During the wait, the agent felt himself grow worse. He was breathing too fast, and it felt like his chest was about to cave in on itself. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to focus his breathing. He couldn't. He then tried another tactic, squeezing his hands shut, then opening. Squeeze. Open. Squeeze. Open. Doing that a few more times, he felt everything become slightly lighter and slowly opened his eyes, only to see the Black Widow looking at him in concern.

Not having many options, he tried to explain. He took another deep breath and started. He made a motion similar to throwing a shield, to which the ex-assassin nodded to. He then remade the mask motion, getting another nod. He then pointed down the hallway and got a final nod.

"You got Steve to get your suit?" 15 nodded, and the Widow did similar. "I understand the need for something like that, even if it has been a while for me."

15 tried to keep his eyes open to show he was listening, but before the woman could explain anything, the soldier returned with the assassin's suit in his hand. With some effort, the HYDRA agent pushed himself off the wall and yanked the suit out of the other man's hands. Not caring about 'manners', 15 pulled the suit back on and instantly felt himself calm down. He closed his eyes and let himself have a few calming breaths, then reopened them to look at the 'hero's' again. 

"Do you feel better now", Captain America asked the agent. He nodded, but feeling a small flash of pain, stopped halfway through and shook his head. "We'll take you back to the infirmary then."

Infirmary? Why was that necessary? All he needed was some rest and a needle, and he could fix himself perfectly fine. Seeing how he was still drugged up and weak, he knew resisting wasn't a good option, and let the two guide him back. On the way, he poked the two Avengers in the shoulder, and made an unmasking motion then wagged his finger while shaking his head. Captain America and Black Widow nodded, knowing what he meant. _Don't take my suit again. _If his freak out was anything to go by, he didn't cope well without it.

Now back on the bed he was in earlier, 15 allowed his boots to be taken off only, then slowly pushed himself back into the bed. Seeing the two Avengers hadn't left yet, he made a hand motion, telling them to speak. They picked it up easily and did just that. 

"We just want to know that you'll stay in here. Won't try to escape." 15 stared at the super soldier for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. Satisfied by that answer, the WW2 veteran left the room. Seeing that the Widow was still here, the agent made a small groan, then repeated his hand motion from earlier.

The female Avenger had an uncertain expression flash across her face for several moments before she hardened up again and started speaking. "I just... I just wanted to know how badly they hurt you." Seeing that that man didn't understand her question, she added a bit of explanation. "Admittedly, I only know little about the Black Box, but I feel it's just as bad as the Red Room. And then you've been with HYDRA for so long, it couldn't have helped your mental health."

Mental health? Bad mouthing HYDRA?! 15 was glad for his mask, as without it his annoyed expression would have been obvious. After taking a moment to get over his anger by squeezing his hands shut then slowly opening them, he answered. He pointed to his head, then pulled a thumbs up. _I'm fine. _He hoped the ex-assassin could understand that.

She did, then after a few moments of hard thinking she went to exit the room with a sigh. Right as she reached the door, and with a sorrowful look on her face, Widow said: "If you're fine, how come you can't speak?"

15 was taken aback by the question. It wasn't necessary he was told. That's true isn't it? Right? 


	2. Subject

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 15 properly meets the Avengers, only to get off on the wrong foot with all of them.  
His one dream is explained, and 15's mental state is examined by Bruce and Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter.  
This one is pretty much dialogue and thoughts, but hopefully it's still enjoyable :)

When 15 finally woke up again, he quickly noticed the great pain he had felt earlier was almost completely gone, and that- to his pleasure- he had not been hooked back up to any machines or drugs. That meant no anesthetics, which in turn meant he could properly function. 

Despite feeling better, the assassin adapted from his last ordeal, slowly putting himself in a sitting position on the bed. He then put his boots back on, and after giving himself another moment, stood up. 15 noted the slight wobble on his feet, and surmised it was because of how long he had been out. After a quick check of his suit: making sure the lenses were aligned and his webshooters weren't disconnected, the agent exited the infirmary.

Now that he wasn't in a state of pain or distraction, the HYDRA agent surveyed his environment. It was a common hallway; the kind you'd find in any high maintenance building, nothing too special about it. Listening to his senses, he continued down the hallway, sounds of chatter becoming louder. Hearing what sounded like arguing, he jumped onto the roof. He guessed that the height would keep him from being noticed as easily than if he walked straight in. Although this tactic may have instilled some distrust, he didn't care.

"-Seriously Natasha? Maybe it's a good thing he can't speak. I don't think I want to listen to all that 'HYRA's cool man' talk 24/7."

"Tony, this isn't a time for jokes. It's a serious problem and you know it."

From his dark perch, 15 quietly scoffed. The Black Widow was concerned about him? Why? He didn't see anything wrong with himself, and if these people tried to do anything, he'd finished what he started at the HYDRA base. He continued his eavesdropping.

"Maybe we should call Strange. Couldn't he do a magic thing on the guy's brain. See if he's playing us?"

"Scott, you know it doesn't wor-"

"Guys! Guys! The... our 'guest' isn't in the infirmary. He escaped."

15 momentarily froze. Of course he hadn't checked for more inhabitants. Stupid! Seeing the super soldier grabbing his shield and the Widow loading a weapon, the assassin decided he'd try something else, and just jumped down. Obviously noone had seen him, and the men in the room jumped, although the female assassin stayed still.

"Jesus! What the hell were you doing?" Iron Man yelled at him.

Seeing no point in lying, 15 answered. He pointed to his ear, then made a circular motion towards all the 'heroes'. 

"What? What the hell does that mean?!"

To think; this billionaire is supposed to be one of the smartest men alive, but can't tell what the agent's signs meant. Seeing no use in continuing the conversation, 15 turned to the Widow, and repeated the motion. She instantly knew what he meant, and he swore he saw a small smile cross the woman's face.

"He was eavesdropping Tony. I'm sure you've done similar", she remarked, the smile growing a fraction of a point wider at her teammate's reaction. 15 let an amused sigh out at the banter.

"Well _Natasha, _at least I didn't make a living out of it."

The woman chuckled at the jab. "Touche."

Before this conversation could grow, 15 found himself being examined by a man. He didn't seem too imposing, and the man's thick glasses didn't help intimidate at all. The assassin stepped back, confused at the man's behaviour, maybe a tiny bit angered by it.

"It's okay", Natasha said to the agent, "This is doctor Bruce Banner. He's the doctor for our team, and helped treat you while you were out." Even though she guessed the assassin's reaction of nothing was guaranteed, she still tried to be informative. "He's also... the Hulk."

Bruce wore a slightly guilty look at the admission, but all 15 did was scoff. The Hulk was just a whiny man-baby. He didn't fear the thing. He gave the doctor an examining look himself, reversing the earlier move and making Banner slightly uncomfortable. After his look, 15 moved forward and poked him in the chest, then wagged his finger while pointing at himself, finally finishing with a plus symbol, similar to the medical one. Of course that wasn't understood either.

"He's saying 'don't examine me' Bruce. It's quite simple", the Widow said. 

"Sorry", Bruce sheepishly said to the male assassin, "I guess I'm not too good at your charades-speak."

Charades? What the hell is a charades? Seeing the confused body language, the female Avenger found herself explaining things again. "Charades is a game where you explain things with body movements and hand gestures." 

Satisfied with the explanation, 15 gave the woman a nod, then looked at the other people in the room. Stark, who was giving him a dirty look- probably from the attack the day before the assassin guessed. Captain Rogers, who had finally put his shield down, the useless doctor and finally, a grinning man with a black and red suit on. 15 walked over to him and the man extended an arm.

"Hi, I'm Ant Man. You might have heard of me before. Me and Cap... tain America go way back", the man introduced. The HYDRA agent gave him a harsh look. "Or if that's not your jam, I beat a guy with an egghead once." Seeing the assassin's gaze remain impassive, the shrinking hero sighed. "Nice going Scott. You can't even introduce yourself without the mega assassin hating you."

Hearing the man's self-esteem drop, 15 pat him on the back and lightly scoffed, probably the closest thing he had ever done to a chuckle. Didn't mean the man was wrong though... The agent then moved to face the WW2 veteran and shook his head. _There will be no friendship between us. _He then approached Stark, and made a gesture like he was ripping out a heart.

"I hope you realise this isn't how you make friends", the Avenger dryly stated.

The assassin stared at Stark for a few more moments, then moved on. He stood in front of Banner completely still for a few moments, then suddenly jerked forwards, making the doctor jump backwards. So he couldn't bring the Hulk out like that. Finally, he stood in front of Black Widow, and simply gave a thumbs up, practically saying she is the only one he respects. He could hear a scoff at the admission. Probably from Iron Man.

Now they were all acquainted, 15 started to stalk off. He was quickly stopped though, as the female assassin grabbed his arm. He gave her a warning look, and she let go. "We can't let you leave here", she started, "We want to help. Help you get better."

Great, more of this 'bad mental health' nonsense. 15 decided to ignore it, and continued walking towards the exit. He heard Stark say something, and then the door suddenly locked itself closed, leaving the HYDRA agent in the room with the Avengers. With a sigh, he turned around again, hoping through the mask, they would all see his annoyance.

"We just want to help", the Captain said, hands up in a neutral position. 15 gave all of the Avengers a hard look, and repeated the motion he made to the Widow earlier. He pointed to his head, then pulled a thumbs up. _Good mental health. _The female assassin shook her head, and the super soldier crossed his arms. "We'll believe it when we see it."

The agent groaned, but ultimately- even if reluctantly- he complied. No use in creating more annoyances. 15 waved his hand out. _Lead the way. _The 'heroes' nodded at him, and led him back to the infirmary. The damn infirmary! The assassin was already over this part of the building, and once he had the chance, he'd happily burn it down. 

The doctor sat him down next to a machine, and asked him to take off the mask. Banner was starting to test his luck. 15 complied though, knowing if he didn't, they might just take his whole suit. He _cannot _have that happen again. So he pulled off the mask, and set it down next to him, even if it was still clenched in his hand. He wouldn't let anyone else touch it.

With a small look of confusion for the possessiveness, the doctor turned away to start his medical procedures 15 didn't care to understand. Instead, he turned to eye the Black Widow, who was giving him a look. It had a hidden emotion to it. Which one though, the HYDRA agent didn't know. Or maybe he just didn't understand. 

"Alright, I need you to look into the light", Bruce said, breaking the staring competition the other two must have been in, and the male assassin turned back to Banner, looking at the light he was holding. "Alright, that's normal... do you have a name?" At the question, 15 pointed down to a white patch on his chest. He didn't know what it said, but based off whenever he 'talked' to his superiors they'd always look there first, he guessed it must have shown his name. "15? That's your name?" The assassin nodded, and the doctor made a surprised noise. "Huh... I should do the rest of these tests."

The doctor did a few more physical tests; testing strength and hitting the knee with that small hammer, the useless things. Getting tired of these antics, 15 poked a finger into Banner's chest, then pointed at his head and shrugged. Nodding, the doctor stood up, and led the agent over to a large machine, and told him to lay down in it. Seeing the protesting look on the HYDRA agent's face, he explained. "This will scan your brain and see if there are any... problems."

Problems. Is that what they would call it? His inability to talk is a problem to them? Not him, so this was all indulging these people. They didn't know what he wanted. All 15 wanted- all he needed- was to see the familiar signs HYDRA so proudly displayed. He wanted to see his idol: Red Skull, patting him on the back as he made a triumphant return, maybe dragging the bodies of the Avengers behind him. Maybe. So far all they've done is aggravate 15. He wasn't sure if he could be accommodating forever. But here he was, laying in some machine, getting his brain scanned for 'problems'.

Being the good soldier he is, 15 counted how long he was in there to stay focused. Three minutes, forty-five seconds. Did brain scans take that long? It was times likes this that he slightly wished he had studied more on the field of medicine. When it reached four minutes, he felt his anger start to rise. What were they doing out there? Had they left? Right as he was about to pull himself out of the machine, the small platform he was laying on automatically pushed out, putting him back in the real world. He felt like he should question them based on the looks on their faces, but knew that he'd more than likely be lied to, so decided against that course of action.

"That's the testing done for now", Banner stated, holding a few papers in his hands, "I'll go over these and share the data sometime tomorrow depending on how long it takes. For now though, you are being handed over to Natasha."

The woman smiled at him, and 15 couldn't stop the small sigh that leaved him. From all the nosy questions he's been asked so far, he knew this would be annoying. Still, he got up- even if he purposefully took his time- and they went elsewhere. 15 had to admit though, he was glad to be out of the infirmary for once. They walked through the hallways and rooms, and eventually the assassin realised he was being taken on a silent tour. He started truly looking at the rooms upon realisation, and noted the major and minor differences in each room. A general room. A training room. Bed room. Another bed room. Many bedrooms. More than the amount of people he has met. That couldn't be good. There was a kitchen, a few toilets, and finally he was shown the launch pad on the top of the building. 

The two assassins stood next to the railing, looking out over the city, and 15 silently admitted to himself it was a satisfactory view. Eventually, the Widow spoke up. "So... would you like it if I taught you how to speak?" He stayed quiet at the question, so she kept going. "It's a useful skill to have, you know? _You _might think your motions are good enough, and _I _can read them, but that doesn't mean everyone else can." There was a point there, and the agent turned to look at the woman. "Do you ever feel like there's something you need to say, to scream maybe, but you just can't? The words are there in your head, but you just can't... you can't _say _them. Can't _e__xpress _them."

At that moment, 15 was extremely glad he was wearing his mask again. He wouldn't forgive himself if his conflicted emotions were seen. But then again, he was 'speaking' to the Black Widow, so of course she picked it up. With only a split second moment of hesitation, the woman put a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned, pointed a hopeful expression his way.

"I... I want to be there for you", she said, "I want to help you."

15 closed his eyes. No. This was a trap. No way was this woman telling the truth. He knew these people did questionable things, but not even the worst HYDRA agent would promise something so impossible. Feeling a small tightness in his chest, the agent let out a shaky sigh and shook his head, pushing the Widow's hand off him and walked back into the Tower. Natasha took a shaky breath of her own, and after waiting a minute, she made her way back into the building as well.

**...**

15 closed his eyes and took deep breaths where he sat. He had been told he was to occupy this room until a better option was available. Obviously, it was one of the away Avengers', as the room was littered with pictures, and the closet was filled with clothes. They seemed to be female ones, and that made 15 slightly uncomfortable. Either way, seeing nothing else to do, he prepared himself for rest. He took a few more breaths, then took off his boots and mask, laying down on the bed. In his own company, he felt alright taking off more than one part of his suit, but he still couldn't bear removing the whole thing.

The agent looked at the roof for a long while, and after squeezing and opening his hands, his best stress reliever he found, he finally drifted into sleep.

Dreams. They were the only comfort 15 had beside his suit. In them, he was allowed to act on his desires, unable to be given consequences or warnings. Not that he ever dreamed of forbidden things. Always about his glorious HYDRA. That's all he needed. In his dreams, he always loved it when they repeated. The one he was having now he had become familiar with, always enjoying, the only con that it wasn't real.

In it, he found himself in a large room. A throne sat at the end, two large banners displaying that amazing HYDRA logo. Already 15 knew what this dream was, and it was probably his favorite one. He walked forwards, and as he did the giant room was filled with people. His Black Box brothers all sat at a table, sharing their stories and victories through complex hand motions. See, if they and him could understand it, why'd he have to learn words? A few other tables were filled with HYDRA agents, some he knew and some he never met. Take Baron Heinrich Zemo and his son for example. He never got the pleasure to meet them since Heinrich was killed during the second World War, and Helmut Zemo was far too busy to ever converse with an agent like him. There was also Arnim Zola, with his strange robotic body, the face displayed on a large screen in the chest. As he walked towards the throne, they turned and raised their glasses, cheering for him. Baron Strucker simply gave him a nod. 

Getting closer now, he was stopped metres away by Madame Hydra, who grabbed him by the shoulders and looked at him. After a few moments of a hard stare, the woman's haze grew slightly softer, and a small smile was on her face. "I am... so glad to see you again 15."

He was too. He couldn't wait to see her again in the flesh. They had already missed so much together. Finally letting go, Madame Hydra beckoned him forward, and he made the final steps. Finally, he stood in front of the throne, Red Skull sitting on it, an impassive look on his face.

This was the part 15 gave in to chance. Sometimes it would end here, others he would be berated and sometimes killed by his leader- he usually did something to deserve it one those occasions, but his favorite was when he would be congratulated. Lucky for him it was the final one. The supreme leader Red Skull stood up from from the throne, a horrifying grin spreading over his face.

"It seems congratulations are in order, _h__err _15", the HYDRA leader claimed, "You have defeated our enemies and ensured our victory over this world. HYDRA will rule the WORLD!!!"

With that call, all the people behind 15 yelled out: "HAIL, HYDRA! IMMORTAL HYDRA! WE SHALL NEVER BE DESTROYED! CUT OFF ONE HEAD, TWO MORE SHALL TAKE ITS PLACE! WE SERVE NONE BUT THE MASTER- AS THE WORLD SHALL SOON SERVE US! HAIL HYDRA!"

Despite wanting to keep his cool, 15 let the smile grow wide on his face, looking over everyone. Seeing them all looking at him, all he needed to do was raise his fist in their sign, and everyone burst into cheers again. The assassin felt a pat on his back, and turned around to see the proud look in his idol's eye.

"You are the best of us all, _genosse. _I am certain our future will be safe in your hands."

15 saluted the leader of his glorious organization, and the gesture was returned. This dream was the only time he wished he could talk. He knew what he wanted to say so clearly. "My future is the future of HYDRA, and I will ensure with all my might HYDRA is eternal. I will never fail. HAIL HYDRA!"

The proclamation let 15 receive another smile from his hero, and he felt a warm feeling in his chest. "I know you will fulfill the needs of HYDRA, as HYDRA will fulfill your needs _genosse_. HAIL HYDRA!"

With a final salute, the proud agent turned around to go be with his brothers, giving a final look back to see the approving look Madame Hydra was giving him. It made his breath hitch, and he didn't regret the action at all. It was a look reserved only for him and they both knew it. He reached his Black Box brothers, they all slapped him on the back, giving salutes, their only way of showing the love they had for their brother. He sat down, and finally found peace, his lifelong mission complete. He didn't want it any other way...

**...**

"Have you got the data processed yet Bruce?" Natasha asked as she walked up to take the seat next to him.

"Almost", he answered, rubbing his eyes, "There's a lot of strange activity going on in our... friend's head. It's almost like half of it has been shut down to be filled with the superhuman abilities and their activity, leaving the more regular parts to figure out which ones are needed for survival."

"So that explains why he can't speak", Widow muttered. Bruce turned to look at her.

"I don't think it's impossible for him, but it would be painful to teach _and _learn so late on. From the rest of the data, I've had to do some rough estimating for the parts that haven't come through yet, but it seems he might be missing a lot of behavioural and psychological abilities as well."

"So he has... impediments."

Bruce gave a thoughtful look. "In some ways."

After sitting in thought for a few moments, Natasha sighed. "What will we tell the others? If they take this as him being... inept, we could lose a possible ally."

"That's if he would even _consider _betraying HYDRA", Banner countered, "And we know how their agents react to being forced to go against their leaders."

"I know that, but still..."

"Natasha", Bruce suddenly said in a serious, yet still supportive tone, "You can't make this personal. Not everyone can do what you did."

The female Avenger looked at her friend with uncertainty. "I can try and help though. I don't- I don't want someone else to do what I did. I feel... '15' has more red on his ledger than I do, and the thought... it _terrifies _me Bruce. If one day he fully understood what he has done, all the innocence people in between that HYDRA didn't like, he could react in negative ways."

"Maybe. Do we... even know anything about him?"

"I know a tiny bit", Natasha supplied, "There was a small amount of information at the base we found him at. He was trained in the Black Box, which shared a large amount of similarities with the Red Room. Him and his 'brothers' also gained abilities from the program, and were all sent to HYDRA upon completion. There was some information on his missions, mostly his assassinations. All quick and precise. No unnecessary casualties, and he usually was in and out before anyone could even think someone had entered the building."

Bruce processed all this information, and then stuttered a bit before finally responding. "So he's-he's stupidly dangerous and isn't worried about killing." Widow nodded. "Wonderful. The man has basically expressed he hates us already, and we're keeping him stuck in here until something clicks. I will be thoroughly surprised if no attempts on anyone's life is made."

Natasha lightly chuckled at her teammate's worry, but understood why he would think that. Hopefully nothing like that would happen.

"Okay", Banner finally said after about long silence, "I think we should present this data to the others."

Natasha nodded, and followed Bruce out of the room.

Hopefully this would go well.


	3. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers learn the full extent of 15's disabilities.  
Natasha attempts to teach 15, learning some interesting things about his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter of this story.  
This one is pretty angst filled, and uses the- what now seems forbidden- 'r' word. The mental health one. Hopefully that won't stop you from reading...  
Enjoy the chapter :)

"Holy shit", Tony breathed, "So this guy is..."

"Yes", Natasha bluntly replied, "He's... special."

"That's one way of putting it", he scoffed, but seeing the glare added: "Come on Nat. He screwed us at the base and keeps hanging it over me. I'm not forgiving and forgetting that he almost ripped my good reactor out. Not yet anyways."

"How can he do all of the things he's done then?" Steve asked with genuine confusion.

Bruce took the papers back from him and gave his best guess. "From what small amount I've learned about him from Natasha and going off what we know about HYDRA in general, I'd say he can do those things based of not having anything else. All he's ever had is the training and- from what I saw earlier- stress relief."

"Stress relief?" Tony repeated, giving his friend a curious expression.

Banner gave an embarrassed look then said: "Well, I saw it on accident when I walked past his room, but it looked like he has breathing techniques and does a hand motion to calm himself down."

"What's he need to calm down from?"

Bruce gave the iron Avenger a look. "In the last forty-eight hours: he's been taken from his home, beaten by you three, taken to a new, foreign place, hit with a bunch of medical procedures I take full responsibility for, and now this... I don't know how- or _if_ he'll even react, but finding out all these... problems he has isn't going to be easy."

"That's fair I guess", Tony said with genuine sympathy, "Finding out you're pretty much retarded can't be easy." Looking up and seeing the hard expressions from using the 'r' word, Tony gave a weak shrug. "Sorry. Wasn't thinking."

A moment later, Natasha said: "He's surprisingly sleeping now, so seeing as how that's better than him 'eavesdropping', I suggest we all get some rest too. We'll tell him tomorrow."

The Avengers all nodded and made their ways to their rooms.

**...**

When Tony woke the next morning, he was instantly on crisis mode. He got up quite easily, not feeling a sore back or a headache. That's a nice change. He went to get some clothes on, then checked the security. That's when he entered crisis mode.

On the camera, he could see 15 meddling in his armour room, doing _something _to his latest Iron Man suit. The iron Avenger quickly pressed the alert button, and made a sprint down there. By the time he finished his mad dash, Steve and Natasha were already there. It was a strange sight in all honesty. In the morning confusion, the Captain had grabbed his shield and put on his helmet, the rest of him still covered in his pajamas. The female assassin had her shock batons, and had a similar getup to Steve; combat boots and pajamas.

"What's in there Tony? Don't tell me it's Ultron again", Steve slightly whined.

"Worse", the billionaire replied, "It's the assassin."

Tony heard a scoff from the woman, obviously annoyed he couldn't have at least said '15', even if she herself didn't believe that was his name. She opened the door, and just as they were about to go in guns blazing, 15 walked straight past them, stopping when he realised they were standing there. He looked at the Avengers for a few moments, then walked off as if nothing had happened.

"Hey!" Tony called out, "What did you do to my suit."

At that, the agent turned around again. Looking at Stark, he said not a word- obviously- and walked back into the room. Following him in, the Avengers saw him walk straight up to the armour, and with some effort, turn it on. Upon activation, the lights on the armour turned green, and the armour started blaring out repeatedly: "HAIL HYDRA! HAIL HYDRA! HAIL HYDRA!"

Tony looked in on shock, and 15 gave him a friendly slap on the back. He then walked in front of the armour, and made a motion like he was screwing something on it, then gave a thumbs up. _Fixed it. _Despite the shock, offensiveness and general non-joking environment, Natasha quietly chuckled. The man had massive balls to do that to the armour.

With that, 15 exited the room again, and went to do who knows what. The three heroes exchanged a look, then followed the assassin. Quickly catching up, Natasha was first to speak. "15, we need to speak to you." He made a motion to continue, but he stopped walking when she grabbed his arms. "And this is something serious. It isn't us saying 'we'll help you'. This is different."

Looking at all three Avengers, he saw they all shared a concerned look, and he waited for one of them to continue. 

"15 your... your brain is severely underdeveloped."

The HYDRA agent looked at Widow for a few moments, then scoffed and tried to continue his walking for a third time. Who cares? He can do what he needs to, and that's all that matters. Besides, if it was bad, they probably wouldn't have even told him, just hooked him up to something and gone off from there. They only cared he that couldn't speak obviously. Not the... not the other things. He wouldn't let them find out about the other things.

Figuring he would've reacted that way, the female Avenger let out a sad sigh, deciding to leave him alone for now. She instead went back up to the infirmary, hoping Bruce would have figured out all the data by now. As accurate as the predictions were, they weren't _fact, _and it gnawed at the female assassin for some reason. Reaching the room, she conveniently found the doctor putting down the last of the papers, and he looked up at her with a weary look.

"I've looked through it all now", he stated, "We can probably teach him how to speak, but I don't know where we could go from there. The possibilities are very limited, and I'm not sure what effect it would have on his mental health."

Natasha nodded. "If he can at least speak, that would help him in the long run- as well as letting everyone understand him."

"Yeah... are you sure you're up for it though? I have no idea how to teach someone to speak, much less the way to pronounce those words. This is why we're taught from an early age. You pick up things extremely easily back then."

Back then. Natasha thought of 'back then'. She would've been a child in an unknown environment, not understanding the horrors of the Red Room. 15 would have already been learning his twentieth way to kill someone if she had to guess. None of it was nice to think about.

**...**

15 sat on the couch in the general room, crouching over a piece of paper. Somehow, all this mental health speak had gotten to him, and he was prepared to prove them wrong. He grabbed the pencil, and after some adjusting, found a comfortable way to hold it. With that done, he went to actually writing something. He tried visualising a letter, and getting a good idea in his head, went to write it down. Five minutes he worked on it, and after some frustration and many attempts, he finished. He looked down at his word, proud it had worked properly.

"What is that thing?"

The agent turned to see Tony standing behind him with a confused expression. 15 decided it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion, and gave the billionaire a better view. He grabbed the paper from the assassin, and after a few moments of analysis, he gave it back. 

"Nice job Scribbles, you can draw a stick man snake."

15's eyes slightly widened behind the mask, and he shook his head. Tony gave him an expression to go on, so the agent continued. He took the paper back and made motions like he was writing sentences. Surprisingly the Avenger understood for once, nodding to know what he meant. 

"Sorry to tell you pal, but that is definitely not any type of word or letter."

The HYDRA agent looked at Stark with narrowed eyes and nodded fiercely. _It is. _When the other man shook his head and shrugged, amidst the anger, 15 felt a cold something in his gut. It was a word, wasn't it? He knew how to write. He'd done it before. His brothers had... his brothers...

Oh God.

No. No no no. It's not possible. He knew how to write! Noone in HYDRA had ever said it was wrong, but the only other people who had even seen his writing was his brothers.

But they were like him. They had... 'problems' too. No.

15 held the paper in his hand and ripped it to nothing. He then pushed Tony out of the way and exited the room. No, he could write. He couldn't speak, but he could write. He... he wrote all the time. His brothers always said... well they didn't say anything, did they?

Not noting where he was going, the assassin just walked, not stopping himself until he did it automatically. Realising he was finally sitting down again, the agent tried breathing long and slow breaths, but that didn't work. He tried it again with closed eyes. Of course it did nothing. He then went with the relief that always worked. Looking down at his hands, he squeezed his hands shut then opened them. Open. Close. Open. Close. Open...

After a few excruciatingly long minutes, 15 returned to his normal self, not shaking or breathing hard anymore. He then mentally butchered himself for having such a reaction. If he couldn't write, so be it. Add it to the long f***ing list of other things he couldn't do. He couldn't speak, couldn't write, couldn't... Couldn't read. What's next?

Allowing himself a moment of voluntary weakness, the assassin punched the closest wall. It hurt his hand a little, but he didn't care. It drove him out of the pit he was so close to falling deeper into, and then left the room. Seeing the room with the hallway's light, he realised he had gone into a closet. Okay. That's fine. He walked out surprisingly reluctantly, and kept wandering the Tower until he found who he was looking for.

Seeing 15 approach her, Natasha let a small amount of worry pass through her. "Is something wrong?" With what looked like a lot of willpower, he nodded, and collapsed down next to her. The female Avenger noted his breathing was slightly wobbly, but decided against pushing the subject. If he was in a vulnerable state, it could mean his mental problems have gotten to him. With that being the most likely case, she didn't want to set him off. "Just sit down and take your time. There's no rush."

The female Avenger found her eyes widening when he actually _listened _to her. First time for everything she guessed. Now she just had to somehow get him to listen to everyone else. 15 slumped into the couch, giving up his perfect posture for comfort. He made a soft sigh, and Natasha guessed he must have closed his eyes for a while. About five minutes later though, he reopened them and looked at her with a determination. He lifted his mask up just enough to show his mouth, and made gestured with the part. The female assassin instantly understood what it meant, and she hard to use all her will to not smile.

"You want me to teach you how to speak?" An eager nod. "Okay, first thing... I think you'll have to take your mask off."

Oof, that was a no no. Still, after some hard thoughts about doing the action, he- with much reluctance- took it off. God, it felt unnatural to have his mask off in the presence of people. Sure, there were a few exceptions, such as his brothers and... someone else, but of someone he barely knew? It made that unwelcome throbbing start in his head and chest. Hopefully it would go away soon.

With that done, the Black Widow had to give some thought on how to proceed. Bruce had made a point earlier; teaching someone how to speak would be difficult. "Uhm, next- next we... uh, we... we'll start with some simple words. You'll try and sound out the words, and I'll help you if there's any trouble."

Dammit. He had to read?! How would 15 explain? As the Widow wrote what vaguely looked like... something to the agent, he tried to figure out how he could discuss or avoid this part. Knowing there was no way to win, he just tried to explain. With an awkward tap on her shoulder and a moment of hesitation when the woman turned around to look at him, 15 started. He pointed at the paper with the big splotches she was working on, and shook his head. He then pointed to his eyes then forehead, and shrugged his shoulders. Shit! He could see the confusion on her face and instantly knew Natasha had no idea what he was 'saying'. The HYDRA agent took a breath, and retried slower. It was understood that time, and after a tense moment of silence, Natasha spoke.

"You can't... you can't read either?" A nod. "God, I... I don't know what to say..."

That's because there was nothing. Grunting with an obvious air of annoyance, 15 stood up and left. He should have know this would only end in shame and embarrassment. That's why he stuck to himself. Himself... that was a half-lie. He'd always had his brothers, but they were all dead now. He doubted he could contact his lo... Madame Hydra either. To simplify, 15 finally realised he had dug himself into a hole.

Stalking back into the general room, the assassin grabbed his papers from earlier, and went back into whoever's room he was dwelling in. He locked the door and made sure noone would be able to come in, and got to work. Amidst all the anger and hopelessness, 15 had come up with an idea. He had figured out a long time ago he had a photographic memory, and planned to use it to express himself. Maybe if he could at least put what he thought down in picture form, it could eventually lead him to speaking forms. Maybe.

**...**

Many hours later, and at who knows what time, 15 had finished his work. Vividly drawn on around twenty pieces of paper, the agent had drawn out his dream; the one where Red Skull congratulated him. Three were of the walk up to the throne the supreme leader would sit in, six papers filled with all the agents and superiors, four of the various movements Red Skull took in his dream, another two simply displayed HYDRA's logo, and the rest were of Madame Hydra. He had spent careful time on those ones, making sure everything was perfect in her features. He wouldn't forgive himself if he messed it up.

Taking in everything he had done, the assassin proudly gave all pages a final once over, and started sticking them to a large board he had found. It was the perfect size, and after almost arranging the pictures into a puzzle, he had positioned everything identical to the parts of his dream.

Feeling calmer than he had the entire time he had been in Avengers Tower, 15 decided to try and give 'being a functioning human' another attempt. The instant he opened his door though, he realised it was pitch black and gave up on that plan. He still traversed the floor though, even if he did climb along the roof. He found that everything seemed to be more clear when he was using his abilities in ways such as these. After navigating around for a while, he found the door he wanted. He hoped at least. 15 knocked on the door, and was luckily greeted by the Widow. She wore a slightly confused look at his appearance, and the agent figured it must have been later than he thought it was. It's not like he could just read a clock after all.

Instead of starting a conversation, the male assassin grabbed her hand and led him to 'his' room. Seeing as how she didn't do anything against the motion, he decided to walk a little faster, finally arriving. After making sure noone else was around, he opened the door and beckoned her in. Natasha nodded, doing just that. Once both of them were in, he closed the door again. He only wanted her to see it right now. Noone else would understand.

"Woah."

That was the only thing the Avenger could say about the pictures. They seemed so realistic, and it didn't take long for her to figure out the HYDRA agent must have a photographic memory. It made her wonder what would happen if he fought Taskmaster. Quickly pulling out of those thoughts though, Widow returned her attention to the pictures and analysed them all.

She wasn't quite sure what the simplistic walkway ones meant, but seeing as how they were on the board, they must have meant something to the agent. Looking at the many pages full of HYDRA agents, the Avenger easily determined their purpose, especially of the ones dressed similarly to 15. Family, however messed up it was. The ones of the HYDRA banners she paid no attention to. The points were obvious. The last ones surprised Natasha though. In the ones with Red Skull, there was emotion she never thought possible for the man. Joy, happiness and a sense of pride lined his face. With a small shock, the woman realised Red Skull was 15's _idol. _Hero, if you wanted to go that far. Deciding to think on that later, she turned to the final few. Madame Hydra, with a form of beauty and attention to detail the thoughts behind these ones were obvious.

Turning to face 15, she pointed to the pictures of the woman and saw him shift his position a little bit. The body language said it all. Maybe it said a bit too much. Things Natasha didn't want to think about. She stopped that line before it could grow. She examined them as a whole one more time, and finally understood the meaning behind it all.

"This is what you want, isn't it? Your dream?"

15 didn't even hesitate when he nodded, and Widow felt a large but brief feeling of worry wash over her. Did that mean it was too late to save him? He didn't want to in the first place, and now this all confirmed where his beliefs lay. The Avenger wouldn't have that though, decided she'd keep fighting to give options for a better life.

"I'll work on something that can help you with your reading and speaking", Natasha stated while she walked to the door. "I'll see you in the morning."

With that, the female assassin left, leaving the HYDRA agent to stare at his creation.

He'd make this his reality. Somehow...


	4. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Avengers go on a mission, 15 takes the opportunity to explore more of the Tower.  
He also meets some acquaintances of the Avengers.  
Light is shed on 15's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fourth chapter of this story.  
This one is basically all about 15, and is filled with a lot of flashbacks.  
I'll also say right now, the last flashback is pretty much a sex scene, so if that's not what you like, you can just skip it. It's also my first time writing something like it, so please say something if you see or know a way I could improve for possible future types of things.  
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)

15 quietly sat on the roof, overlooking the small chaos below. Based off the Avengers all in their uniforms, and the fact they were shouting orders at each other, the assassin guessed that must have meant they were going on a mission. Noone had bothered to fill him in, but based off the strained looks he got when confronting them, it was quite obvious they were attacking a HYDRA base. 15 scoffed at the notion. HYDRA would easily defeat them.

The agent had also decided he would take the time to look around more. The last three days he has been here had started to get to 15, and he was tired of being stuck on the same floor. He had pondered just jumping out the window at one stage, but knew there were more complications with that than just waiting.

Bringing his attention back to underneath him, 15 found himself involuntarily looking over Natasha the most. Natasha, not Black Widow. He had surprised himself when he started mentally referring to the Avenger like that. Exposure was his best guess. The woman wouldn't leave him alone. Still, he felt a sense of... something that wasn't good if she didn't return.

Feeling he should maybe contribute a little, he shot a small web at the Widow, causing her to look up at him. An odd sight, seeing a fully, armoured- even if it wasn't really armour and more of a light protection- cross legged man waving at her from the roof. Still, with her attention his now, 15 made a shooting motion to the feet. _Take out the feet. Obviously. _Natasha gave him an analysing look for the advice, soon leaving after. He'd rather they finish quick then get into a fight. If he could, he would go help his fellow agents, but knew doing so would cost a lot more.

Finally, it seemed the Avengers were leaving, all piling out at the same time. Ant Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Banner surprisingly, and finally Natasha. She gave 15 a quick look before she left, and with that done, she was gone. 15 took a breath, then squeezed and opens his hands one time. Now he could start to do what he wanted... kind of.

**...**

**(Flashback)**

Screaming could be heard down the halls, filling the air of the stormy night. Sure, they weren't the only screams, but these ones... they stood out for some reason. The person making those screams in particular, was a woman. She more writhed in the bed than she did anything, the pain close to unbearable. Who knew childbirth would be so painful.

"It is okay _mein geliebte, _you are almost there" a man soothed. He held the woman's hand, and if she became to rowdy, would give his own hard squeeze back in return. Despite the situation, he felt a feeling in the pit of his stomach. This child would be theirs, which in turn would be HYDRA's, but would that really be best? He wasn't sure. _Only time will tell._

The doctor on the receiving end was close to shouting orders, ready to grab the child when it came out. With one last call of _push, _that happened, and he now held the infant in his hands. "Ah, a strong male", he proclaimed, carefully examining the child he was holding.

The woman let out a relieved sighed, sagging and reaching out for her husband. He gave an affirming look to her, and not a moment after, she had her baby in her hands. She felt a wave of pure joy at seeing the infant. It was her _son, _something that was never thought possible at the beginning of her HYDRA career. "Look Richard; he shares your eyes."

The baby's father scooted over to have a look at his son, and let out a happy grunt. "And your nose, Mary", he stated back, a surprisingly warm smile on his face. "Name. What shall we name our _sohn_?"

Mary thought for a moment, then looked back up at Richard. "I want I want to call him... Peter."

"Perfect", Richard replied, staring at his son. Peter would grow up to be a good man, he could see it. He felt that nagging from earlier return, and turned to look at the doctor, ordering: "You are dismissed doctor. Leave."

"Yes, _herr _Parker."

Now alone with his wife and son, he gave the former a look. "What will we do now Mary? Is HYDRA really the best place for our child?"

She gave him a shocked look. "Of course it is Richard. Where would you suggest we do it. At S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"N-No! Of course not! I'm just suggesting, _mein geliebte._"

Mary's face became softer after a few moments of looking at her son, and spoke up again. "I'm sorry for snapping Richard. It was inappropriate."

"I'm sorry as well. Nowhere else is better than HYDRA. But I wonder... how far our son will rise through the ranks."

The woman's face now wore a thoughtful smile at that question. "This is _our _son. We have achieved so much in our time. I believe Peter could become greater than even the likes of Baron Zemo or _herr _Schmidt."

Richard chuckled, his earlier worries gone with the help of his wife. "I belive so too. He will make the perfect agent for our glorious leaders."

**...**

Riding on an elevator was strange. Somehow, 15 had never done it before, and was feeling quite anxious. He mentally berated himself for the feeling, but had to admit he'd always been on the fence when it came to new things. Still though, once it finished its descent, he felt both relief and sadness that it was over so quickly. Now on the ground floor of Avengers Tower, everything seemed so different. Up on the top floor he hadn't been able to leave, all the buildings and outside environment seemed far away and small to 15. Here though, it was bigger and closer, even if he was still inside. The agent also knew he couldn't leave, but wasn't ready to make a gamble and make his way out with brute force just yet. It had always given him displeasure to unnecessarily kill. Not that he hadn't ever done.

His figure was obviously an interesting view, as coming back to reality, 15 realised many people were staring at him. Not that he cared of course. Funny looks wouldn't make him get out of his suit. Only a few select things could make him voluntarily do that, and not many of those things were an option anymore. Most of them were dead...

"Excuse me, but are you lost", a woman asked the agent, pulling him out of what would have become a dark tangent, now sending his analytical stare at the woman. She had ginger hair, and wore a fancy looking business suit. A high class woman then. Most likely a barely even minimal threat if it led to that. "Sir, are you okay."

Deciding rudeness wouldn't be polite, he answered the woman. He pointed to himself, then up to the higher levels, and she nodded. So she could understand him? 15 was impressed. He continued, waving his hand around and walked on the spot.

"Okay", the woman started, "You're the man my husband and the others took." Who's husband? Seeing the confused body language she continued. "My name is Pepper Potts. I'm Tony Stark's wife." Oh, alright then. "Are you... are you even allowed down here."

15 scoffed and shook his head, and he heard an amused sound from Pepper. He imitated a heroic stance, and then made a motion with his hand like he was talking down on someone. It seemed Stark's spouse understood, as she let out a small laugh.

"I understand. Sometimes they're too careful when it comes to bringing people in. They did the same with that Devil guy."

Despite the support, 15 couldn't take the woman seriously. She was acting so nonchalantly around an actual _assassin. _If he wanted, he could easily kill her and probably half the people in this room now before anyone could react. But even with that, he felt a sense of respect for the woman. She stood so casual around such a dangerous man. It made him wonder if she knew he was HYDRA, but then realised she may have been much more formidable than she looked. _Don't judge a book by its cover _after all.

After what the agent soon realised was an actual judgement of him, the woman put on a new smile, and waved him over. "If you'd like, I could show you around for a little."

15 nodded. He would rather snoop, but something told him crossing with this Pepper Potts would be a horrible idea.

**...**

**(Flashback)**

"Come on, _mein junge, _say _vater_", Richard urged his crawling son. Six months old and still crawling, was that natural? He wasn't really sure, but felt like it might mean something about young Peter. 

On the couch just in front of the two boys, Mary let a pleased sigh escape. "It seems it is not your lucky day."

Richard chuckled. "Soon _mein geliebte. _Or are you just jealous he may call for me before you." His wife gave him a light kick for that. "Hey! I'm just saying. I saw the hell fire look you gave me when he stumbled with the beginning."

"He didn't say it though."

"I think 'mu' is close enough."

"A mumble is not a word, _Richard_", Mary laughed at seeing her husband's emotions run wild over his face for that. It was enjoyable to rile him up in small arguments like this. They seemed to also be enjoyable to Peter, based off that cute, innocent smile on his face. Unfortunately, it seemed this joy would not last, as just before more could be said, there was a knocking on the door. "I'll see who it is."

Richard held his son a bit closer as his wife looked who was at the door, then felt a massive wave of dread seeing just _who _was looking for them.

It was the Red Skull.

The leader of HYDRA almost seemed to glide into the small room the spouses shared, and looked around with an almost nostalgic look on his face. "I must admit _herr _Parker, this is a quite humble abode you have."

"Thank you, _herr _Skull." Saying 'Skull' made the oldest of the Parker men feel uneasy. It wasn't natural. He kept a firm eye on the supreme leader of HYDRA, waiting for what came next.

"I'm sure you have questions of why I'm here", Skull started, not looking to see if there were at all, "But I assure you, what I propose is for the betterment of us all. Despite all you two have done for HYDRA, I'm not here to send you on a new mission, I'm here for your _sohn_."

Whatever formalities were in the room disappeared at that, and Mary stood up to her self-confessed idol. "That is not possible _herr _Skull. He is not anywhere near close to start training."

The red faced man let out a eery chuckle at that. "Of course he is too young _frau_, but the proposal I have will allow your child to become the best of us. And unfortunately for you, he must be taken now or it will not work."

"But he can't even speak", Richard pointed out. 

"That is not a necessary ability", Skull calmly waved off, "The program we have started will provide things so much better than speech to its participants."

"Like what", Mary asked, making sure her tone was not polite.

Red Skull seemed to grin at that though, and answered. "You see _frau, _the program will allow young Parker to do amazing things. Things a normal human could not do. Not even me. It would also train him to become the perfect soldier for our glorious organization, and potentially give him the skillset to let us rule the world."

Perfect soldier? Was that what they wanted? The last six months of having Peter in their lives had changed Richard and Mary. Before, they were fine with him becoming a soldier, fully aligned to HYDRA, but now? Now it seems inhumane to such a beautiful and innocent thing to let it grow up like this. The Parkers had prepared and talked about leaving, maybe this showed it was time.

Looking down into those innocent eyes of Peter's, Richard took a breath, and made what he thought was the best decision of his life. "I'm sorry _herr _Skull, but we cannot let our son be a part of this program." He could see Mary giving him an affirming and reassuring look, and he knew he'd made the right decision. 

Seeing there was no way to change their minds, Red Skull sadly sighed. "I... am most disappointed in this turn. _Tu es._"

With that order, four HYDRA soldiers walked into the room, instantly shooting down Mary Parker and killing her without a thought. Richard cried out, and swiftly pulled his own gun out after putting his son down. He fired at the soldiers getting a precise shot in one's forehead and another in the neck. They both collapsed to the floor and before Richard Parker could do any more, more shots had been fired in his body, ripping through him and bringing him to an agonising rest.

Red Skull went over to the crying Peter and picked him up. "Do not worry _kind, _they will not matter in your future. HYDRA is the only thing you need. HYDRA will provide for you, as you will for HYDRA."

With that claim, the two remaining soldiers quickly chanted: "HAIL HYDRA!" as their leader walked out of the room, taking Peter to his new life.

**...**

"You see... 15. That's the problem. I tried to tell Mr. Stark, but he said it didn't work like that."

Currently, 15 was having an intense and highly enjoyable conversation with one of the scientists who worked in the small lab that resided in the Tower. Of course, Ms. Potts had volunteered to translate for him, but after a while, it seemed the scientist had picked up what the agent was meaning in his motions. They were discussing how to build some device Pepper had no idea did, but could tell the assassin was enjoying himself.

Enjoying 15 was. Even though he couldn't read or write, he could look at a machine and easily be able to pick it apart and build it again, or sometimes create something better from the pieces. He'd always preferred the practical side for obvious reasons, and was extremely glad the young woman he was conversing with wasn't trying to have him read the notes. With a small hint of some feeling, 15 realised the last time he'd had such an insightful and science filled conversation was with his brother 3 many months ago. He tried not to think on that.

Instead, he focused on the matter at hand. Done with talking, 15 grabbed the small device, which granted a small yelp from the scientist. He actually liked the girl, but really felt like someone needed to tell her to calm down. 'Get laid' as he had heard some other scientists putting it as he 'listened' earlier. With the machine in hand, he grabbed the small screwdriver and tilted an even smaller part ever so slightly, and the machine came to life, a bright blue glow saturating it.

He handed it back to the scientist, and in return she gave him a dumbfounded look. "Wow, maybe Mr. Stark should hire _you._" 15 scoffed, and put a hand on the woman's shoulder, giving a thumbs up with his other hand. She could tell the agent was being supportive, and with a slight blush for his kindness said: "Thanks."

After making sure the two were definitely done talking, Pepper walked back up. "Are you ready to look around more?"

15 nodded, and after waving goodbye to the scientist, left with Stark's spouse. After walking about a dozen steps away from the lab, he groaned. The conversation was enjoyable- especially since he was easily understood- but it was maybe a little too much for him. He was glad to restart the sort of tour this had turned into though. Ms. Potts was a good woman, and 15 was surprised someone like Stark had somehow managed to marry her. That was the only thing he didn't like about the woman though. Maybe he should give the man a chance? Probably not.

After being shown another lab and quickly signalling he didn't want to go inside, 15 and Pepper were interrupted by a new, young face.

"Mom", the little girl called, "I'm so bored!" Mom? The HYDRA agent's eyes widened ever so slightly at that, and proceeded to 'not at all' listen in.

"Morgan!" Pepper exclaimed while she knelt down to be level with her daughter, "What are you doing here? I thought Miss. Simmons was looking after you today."

"Well, she is", Morgan awkwardly said, not looking at her mother, "But it was really boring. All she wanted to do was really easy equations and easy coding samples."

"That's just because she's not quite sure how to deal with you that it's so boring. Go back and tell her I said you can do the hardest ones." The little girl cheered at that, and Pepper looked back up at the extremely out of place 15. "Now I have to get back to showing our guest around Morgan. Your dad hasn't been very accommodating for him."

15 quickly stopped himself from letting out an amused sigh. That was putting it lightly. He couldn't even walk around one floor of a building without someone watching him, and it seemed the only rooms he could enter was the infirmary, toilet and his temporary bedroom. Now that he had been mentioned, he noticed the little girl look at him.

"Who are you", she asked, pointing at the assassin, "You know my dad?"

15 nodded and went to explain. Ugh, how could he explain to a child how he got here? Ms. Potts was making obvious signs he couldn't tell the complete truth, so he tried to tone it down. Reluctantly kneeling down to the girl's level, he tried his best to explain. He waved his hands around as if he was in a fight, and then froze himself like he had been knocked out. He then made an Iron Man like action, pointed to himself and slowly raised himself like he was carried. Finally, he motioned all around them, and at the higher floors. Surprisingly, Morgan understood his explanations, even as he realised it was rather complex, and gave an excited, toothy smile. 

"Wow! My dad saved you?" He had to strain himself, but eventually he nodded, making the child even more excited. Something annoyed him about the childlike joy. Maybe it's because he'd never experienced anything like that. Maybe. "Mom, can I go with you and the spy man?"

Spy man?! 15 raised an eyebrow at the name, and looked over to Ms. Potts. She gave a shrug, and realised this had turned into a three person adventure. "Okay Morgan, but you have to stay with me okay?"

"Okay!"

And with that, they departed.

**...**

**(Flashback)**

15 slammed against the hard concrete, feeling something that definitely wasn't natural. He let out a small groan, not wanting his brother to hear his weakness, and pushed himself up. When his brother, 20, came at him again, he slowed his breathing. The world seemed to slow, and he took everything in. This slowed down reality thing he could do was discovered only a few days before, and despite how much trouble he could get in for it, decided not to tell anyone.

Anyways, with everything slowed, he focused on what his brother was doing. He was coming at him with a high kick, something 15 didn't think 20 had in him. His brother usually went with hard and fast after all. Grace wasn't his speciality. Almost instantaneously knowing how to counter, 15 let his breathing return to normal, as the world did the same. The moment things were back to normal, 15 squat down, dodging the kick by quite a bit. 20 sailed over him, and when his brother landed again, he drop kicked him in the back. 

20 smashed into the ground almost as hard as 15 did earlier, but stayed down. Seeing no signs of further attack, 15 relaxed himself and went over to his brother. Hoisting him up, he saw 20 had a bloody nose and probably a concussion, but was probably fine. Despite the excruciating amount of pain they inflicted on each other, the participants of the Black Box all knew their brothers' breaking point and how far they could go.

"Excellent 15", their HYDRA superior stated, walking over and yanking 20 out of his brother's hand. "I will take 20 to... receive his reward for second place." That stirred something in 15, but he chose to ignore it as their teacher guided him along. "I must admit 15, you have become quite the exceptional fighter in the last twenty years. But I noticed when you defeated 20 that you... reacted quite faster than the enhancements fully apply. You're not hiding anything are you 15?" For a breif moment, the young man felt a wash of fear slide over him, but hardened himself up and shook his head. "Good... good. Now I hope you realised 15, but this has been the fourth tournament you have finished first place in. I think you might very well be ready for true missions."

Despite the trouble he could get into, 15 let the smallest trace of a smile appear on his face, and mentally congratulated himself. He was ready to serve HYDRA to his full potential. He had mastered all the arts of reconnaissance and assassinations, and was a natural when it came to stealth, his own brothers sometimes finding difficult to track him down in the tests. He turned to his superior and nodded. _Ready to comply._

The superior nodded, knowing full well what the nod meant. "Excellent. I belive all that is needed now is to update your suit... and fix that shoulder."

15 groaned. Of course they knew he'd dislocated his shoulder.

**...**

Now in what looked like a display room of sorts, 15 looked with a critical eye at what was put up all around him. He was pleasantly surprised on this tour of sorts, going along the many floors and allowed to converse with various people. The Avengers never would have allowed it.

Feeling an annoyance starting to grow into more than that, the agent closed his eyes and squeezed his hands together, slowly opening them back up soon after. He did that multiple times until the emotion subsided, and was met with the curious gaze of the Stark offspring. He glared at the child, and even though she started to look more nervous, she put on a brave face and looked back at the assassin. 

"Are you okay, Mr. Spy man?"

15 huffed at the name, and nodded his head. The girl happily smiled at him, and went to rejoin her mother. Taking a look for himself, the agent could admit all the past prizes the Avengers possessed were impressive. It seemed like Iron Man's 'first' armour was there in its red and yellow glory, but 15 knew from his time in HYDRA a more crude version had been made while the billionaire was trapped during his time with those terrorists. There was also that ridiculous costume Captain America used to wear, the sight of which almost made 15 aggravated again. He moved on, almost giving into the impulse of pushing the stand over. Next, he saw what looked like a large assortment of weapons that looked like they had been used by the Black Widow. 15 gave them a hard examination, and could tell they were far inferior to the designs HYDRA had started using. He saw a few more small pieces of armours and various other materials, and finally stood in front of a large mural depicting the Avengers. It seemed slightly egotistical, but 15 could forgive that.

"It's impressive, isn't it?" Pepper asked, standing next to the assassin and admiring it herself. "It actually took three weeks for them to create it."

He looked a bit closer at the mural now that he knew how much effort went into it, and eventually turned around and nodded at the woman. She brightly smiled at him, and then started walking out of the room again, calling Morgan as she went. 15 looked at the image a few moments longer, then went and joined the others.

Seemingly finished with the tour, the three came back around to the entrance. "I hope you liked looking around 15", Pepper said, although he could hear a slight strain in her voice for having to use the name 15. Oh well. What else would he be called? "I think now though you should probably go back up to the top floor. Get some rest. I have to take Morgan home."

The HYDRA agent nodded at Ms. Potts, and watched her walk away. Once she had walked out the door with her daughter, 15 went back to the top of the Tower. Up through the elevator again which he actually enjoyed this time around. The doors slid open, answered seeing nothing better to do, decided he would go rest early today. It would probably take him a while, but still.

Entering 'his' room and closing the door behind him, the assassin sat in front of his dream board again. It calmed him a great amount now that he had put his dream onto paper, and he found it worked even better than his hand motions when he was aggravated. Even though he wanted to keep his board perfect, 15 took off his favourite picture of Madame Hydra he had drawn, and looked at it until he drifted into the jaws of sleep. He hoped he could see her again soon. He'd make sure he could...

**...**

**(Flashback)**

15 stood in front of the office door, unsure if he should actually enter. Of course he did in the end though. He wasn't one to cross his superiors, and although he didn't think he'd admit it to anyone, he realised some sort of thing had been made between him and Madame Hydra. Something he had never felt before, and knew would get him in trouble if anyone found out. He'd even been partnered with her on a mission or two before, and knew they worked exceptionally well together.

Once inside, 15 was surprised by what he saw. Of course, there were the mandatory HYDRA banners on the walls, and what looked like things his superior had collected over the years. But the surprising thing was the state of the woman he had been called to see. She looked... uneased? She was also shifting on her feet in a way that worried 15. She looked at him for a split moment before looking down again.

"15, please close the door", she said, her voice filled with... something. He did so, and heard her quietly say: "Thank you."

He then went and stood as close as he thought he could stand near Madame Hydra, and felt his breath hitch. She wasn't annoyed by the proximity, instead seeming to be excited by it. Finally, his superior properly looked at him, and he swore his heart skipped a lot more than one beat. The look in her eye, it was one filled with determination, and an almost dirty idea. She got off the desk she had been leaning on and put a hand on 15's chest. Instead of feeling uncomfortable or disgusted like he usually did when someone touched him, he felt a sort of pleasure spread through his chest.

"I... have been thinking of you recently", Madame Hydra announced, surprising 15. "You have... _dominated_ my mind for many nights now. Have I been the same for you?"

Hearing the tone she used on 'dominated', something egged the male HYDRA agent to test his luck. He stepped slightly closer and nodded, also putting a hand around her waist. He heard his superior let out a sharp breath, and felt a bubbling in his chest. This thing between them had been slowly growing, and it was safe to say both participants were ready for the continuation and payoff. 

With the smallest hints of hesitation, 15 pulled his mask off and put it to the side. Besides his brothers, this woman was the only one he felt comfortable taking parts of his suit off with. Sometimes even the whole thing. Throwing all professionalism to the wind, they both moved forwards and went at each other with a hard and passionate kiss. 15 registered through the haze he had been the triumphant one when he felt his lover shiver in his hands, and heard a wanting moan escape her. They continued their move for a while longer, and spread apart when they had almost passed out.

They both looked intently at each other whole they recovered, and once they were ready, moved on to the next step. After the move he had pulled before, and the fact they had been sitting on doing 'this' for a while now, Madame Hydra didn't hesitate as she moved 15 over to her private area, pulling him into another display of passion on the way. Pushing the agent down, the superior agent got on top of him, straddling him as well.

15 groaned, an expression of pure pleasure overtaking his face. He knew people might frown upon this, but he didn't care. His lover had chosen _him, _that meant something to him. He let out another groan, although it was filled with more surprise, when his superior started to grind along his body.

"15, I want this", Madame Hydra breathed out, "I _need _this. I need you. Please... let me..."

The assassin didn't let her continue, as he pulled her down into another kiss. He hadn't done this before, and going off the body language of the woman, she hadn't either. That honestly shocked him. He wanted to make this memorable then. Breaking up the passion once more, 15 made an obvious gesture, and they both stripped down as fast as they could. This time when they rejoined, 15 flipped his lover over so now he was on top.

Madame Hydra looked up at 15 in surprise- and maybe a bit of annoyance- but seeing his expression knew he wasn't going to switch again. Feeling a quick skip in her chest, and a secret desire surfacing, the Madame of HYDRA let herself fully fall into the moment and waited to see where it went. They brought their lips together a few more times, and feeling a certain something sliding along her thigh, the woman looked directly into 15's eyes. He returned the look, and after a final thought, gave a look asking for permission, and when she nodded, he nodded and allowed them to fully committ 'the act'.

Upon the movement, Madame Hydra almost screamed out, pleasure washing through every part of her body. Letting out a few pleased gasps, she got out: "Wait 15, please... please start slow."

Her lover nodded, and slowed down the pace. He knew it would be a horrible and probably deadly idea to disobey, especially seeing as he was the first one to do this to her. With the Madame squirming underneath him, the agent felt something whirl around in his chest, and very slowly started to speed up the pace, adding in a few extra movements with his other parts. 

Below him and powerless- although more unwilling to- Madame Hydra felt herself becoming more and more heated, especially in the private regions of her body. Feeling her lover starting to go harder and faster, she also felt herself starting to feel a large buildup, and before the superior agent could react, she close to jumped up, holding onto 15 for dear life, and let out the loudest moan she had ever made, completing a real climax. 

Feeling a sudden and slick reaction 'down there', 15 stopped for a second to make sure everything was alright. When his lover nodded for him to continue he did so. Not that he lasted much longer either. With each thrust he felt a similar buildup, and with a long groan, he looked desperately into his superior's eyes, who after a moment of soaking in the pleasure a little longer, gave him an affirming look.

With that, the agent held on until completion, his end bringing a large barrage of moans and groans from both participants. They stayed frozen like that for a moment, and then pulled off each other with another moan. They both quickly cleaned their crotch areas, and then made their way back to the area they just committed their most serious act in. Madame Hydra let herself be wrapped around in 15's arms, a content sigh escaping her. Feeling a sense of previously unthought achievement, the male agent kissed the top of his lover's head, who moved to look up at him just after.

"Thank you, 15", Madame Hydra said with a few panted breaths, "That was... amazing. Thank you for being the one."

He let out his own content sigh at the words, and kissed her again. That was all that needed to be said to confirm what they felt from the other.

**...**

In the darkly lit base, the HYDRA agents almost gave up in their march up to their temporary leader. This wasn't their main base after all, and Red Skull had said they would take orders from his second in command if they resided in this base. Still, they'd much rather inform the supreme leader of HYDRA than who they had to.

Both agents shared an anxious look, pondering if maybe they should instead run through the shadows, never dealing with HYDRA instead. They knew that was impossible and knocked on the door.

"Yes", the voice said impatiently. The agents walked in with a slight wobble in their knees. With a silent argument, the lower ranked agent stepped forward to present their new information. 

"M-Madame Hydra", he started with a salute, "We have discovered agent 15 of the Black Box Program was indeed taken by the Avengers." A whirlwind of emotions spread over the woman's face at that, and she made a motion to continue. "Our sources also provided information that the Avengers team are all on all mission not far from here." There was more silence, and the agent was almost too scared to finish off. "We all await your orders."

Madame Hydra let out an annoyed sigh, then stood up. "Send some of the soldiers to the location of the Avengers. I will go retrieve 15."

"Will you nee-" 

"GO!"

The two agents wore pure terror on their faces at their temporary leader's outburst and quickly ran out of the wall. Everyone knew not to get in the way of Madame Hydra's rage. Now left alone, the leader let out another sigh, and slowly rose out of her chair.

"I will reunite us 15... If the Avengers think they can take my love from me, they are about to be in for a big shock!"


End file.
